Gravity (Mageri Series: Book 4)

by Dark, Dannika

  Knox had put the man’s lights out in a short-lived bar brawl not too long ago. One that gained him a little respect with some of the immortals because Marco was a Mage and Knox was just a human.

  “Why did he come back?”

  “Guilt. I went down to Texas and questioned him—told him who I was affiliated with and he wasn’t on board at first because I didn’t have one of those rings they wear. But you know I’m a convincing man,” Knox said with a wry smirk. “He said finding Silver was a fluke; her energy as a human was way off. That’s why he kept asking Sunny about Zoë’s father, because there were always rumors floating around about crossbreeding and he wondered if there was something to it. Samil had given him a list of names to locate, but it was time-consuming.”

  More claps sounded at the bar and the both of them looked up with alert eyes. Some habits are hard to break.

  Knox continued. “Anyhow, he thought Silver would be like a bonus or some shit, but it backfired on his ass. He knew Samil was working for Nero and tried to go directly to the man to resolve some shit they had between them, but Nero didn’t want to deal with him.”

  Adam ran his finger along the scar on his jaw. “Why did he show up in Cognito?”

  “To strike a deal with Justus.”

  Adam didn’t like the sound of that. “What kind of deal?”

  Knox lowered his voice. “He doesn’t want the Council or anyone else involved because he’s barely able to fly under the radar anymore with some of the shit surfacing. Marco knows how to get in touch with Nero when he needs to, and he wants some woman back. He found out how valuable Silver is to Nero and wanted to do a little swap. He thought the whole situation with Justus taking in a Learner—a female Learner—made as much sense as a screen door on a submarine.”

  Adam folded his arms and leaned back in his chair. A woman with a good heart deserved better than the way the men in her life had treated her. Abused. Abandoned. And now he discovered someone wanted to trade her off. No wonder she didn’t trust men.

  “Marco came up to bribe Justus.”

  “With what?” Adam sniffed and shook his head.

  Knox took another swig of beer and grimaced. “Everything. He was going to give Justus his entire fortune. Justus is a materialistic guy—look at all that shit he has. Cars, homes, all those suits and watches. Christ! If he has that much money, you can only imagine what his Creator has. Marco wanted to pay Justus for Silver.”

  Adam’s jaw muscle flexed. Anger bubbled in that nasty way that made a man do stupid things, so he rubbed his face and looked over his shoulder at the pool players.

  “Why did he tell you all this?”

  Knox’s gravelly voice lowered. “So I’d relay it to Justus. He wanted to put the idea in his head and see if he took the bait.”

  “He better… fucking… not,” Adam growled, watching Sunny pick up a menu at the bar.

  “No, he’s not on board,” Knox confirmed. “I had a private talk with him and he’s a man shamed. I don’t blame him, because I get that your Creators are like fathers or some shit. That’s a heavy load to lay on a man, and after he finished tearing up my office, he wrote me a check for the damages and told me to keep it between us. But I’m telling you because we’re tight like that, and I trust you. He appreciated my tactics at getting what he needed, and we started talking more seriously about my future interests.”

  Adam tipped his beer. “Well done.” The sentiment lacked enthusiasm, but Knox deserved a pat on the back. He was motivated, intelligent, and always wanted to do something for a greater cause.

  “You know why we did all those hits?” Knox said discreetly. “To test out their weapons. Not all of them worked—you remember that as well as I do. My ex-partner dug up some seriously disturbing shit in those Trinity files. Most of the metals have a shelf life and weaken over time, but they’re not telling that to the people they’re selling it to.”

  “Damn,” Adam breathed. It made him want to get involved again to get some revenge against the men who had used them like guinea pigs. They both shared a disgusted look, knowing that was a part of their past they’d never be able to erase.

  “You need to snap out of it,” Knox blurted out.

  Adam’s eyes flicked up and caught Knox staring at the scar on his temple that ran straight down to his jaw. It was the most prominent one that couldn’t be covered with facial hair. “Don’t worry about me.” Adam brushed him off.

  “Quit doing that,” he grumbled. “If these pricks won’t hire you, I fucking will. What did you plan on doing before you found out you were a Healer? Think on that shit. You got a long time to work it out, but you got way too many talents to ignore.”

  “Well,” Sunny chimed in, strolling up to the table. “As much as I’ve complained, I will finally admit that Breed bars have better food. This place is a dive and they don’t even have nachos on the menu. Is this where you hang out, Adam?”

  Adam shrugged. He came on a few occasions, but he preferred a bar a few blocks up the street called Northern Lights. Local musicians were allowed on stage after nine. He loved watching these humans get up and belt out their soul, only to go back to their regular job at the bank. Otherwise, his routine hadn’t changed much. Two hours each morning, he went on a hard run. After that, Novis usually had an agenda. Sometimes they practiced with weaponry, but without a job or purpose, Adam had become listless. It made him want to pick up photography again, but he’d lost the passion.

  Sunny covered her stomach with her hand and blushed. Knox looked like a fishhook had grabbed the corner of his mouth and pulled it up. He winked at Sunny and whispered something softly in her ear.

  “Extra-large,” she said privately to him.

  “With cherries, baby girl,” he promised, kissing her nose.

  “Watch my purse.” She got up and headed toward the bathroom.

  Adam rested his chin in the palm of his hand. Sunny’s stares made him uncomfortable because her eyes were filled with pity. That’s not the way a man wants to be looked at by any woman.

  “I’m going to marry her,” Knox said quietly.

  “Yeah, so you keep saying.”

  Knox fished in his pocket and slid a tiny black box across the wooden table.

  Speechless, Adam lifted the lid and admired a modest heart-shaped diamond ring with a platinum band and two pale amethyst stones on either side, sparkling beneath the cheap lighting.

  “You dirty dog,” he said with a wide grin.

  Knox pulled the ends of his hat down, brown eyes staring at the box. “You think she’ll like it? It’s not one of the big ones.”

  “You’re serious?” Adam was still in shock and trying to process it. Knox had sworn he’d never marry a woman, but that was before Sunny. “She’s going to fall over for this.”

  Knox blew out a relieved breath and closed the box, slipping it back into his pocket.

  “What are you waiting for?”

  “Shit, I don’t know. I don’t want to blow it and I’m not good at planning all that romantic stuff. I’m just waiting for the right time. Women have all those fantasies about vineyards, carriages, roses, and violins.”

  Adam leaned in tightly. “She’s not going to say no. You could propose to her sitting on top of a tobacco truck, swearing your way straight into hell, and that woman would say yes.”

  Knox laughed and rapped his knuckles on the table. “Where are you staying these days, brother? Novis says you don’t come home some nights.”

  “Here. There.” Adam swished the liquid in his bottle and watched a woman leaning over the pool table, taking a corner-pocket shot. She had more curves than the ball she was aiming for.

  “People are wondering what you’re up to is all I’m saying,” Knox said in slow, pronounced words. “I know that shit you carry around, and you got that look in your eye. Talk it out with me here or later, but don’t do something stupid that’s going to make you one of my cases.”

  “I thought you were a man who believed in j
ustice.”

  Sunny appeared from the bathroom door and headed toward the bar. Knox kept a close eye on her at all times and when she slid onto the stool, he turned his attention back to Adam. “Someday, Razor…”

  “Adam,” he corrected.

  “Don’t be funny with me, brother. You’ll always be Adam Razor in my head. The guy that took a knife in the gut for me. The guy who told me to quit fucking around and find a good woman. The guy who told me that someday he was going to have some property and watch his kids play on a tire swing. The guy with a conscience. I’m not seeing that conscience in your eyes these days.” Knox waved a heavy finger at Adam’s face and scraped his lip with his teeth. “I don’t want to see you do something stupid for revenge.”

  “My sister’s killer is out there; I have a right to find him.”

  “You think that’s going to make your problems go away?” Knox asked.

  Someone cranked a rock song on the jukebox and they both leaned in closer to hear each other. Knox had no right to judge him because he’d never lost anyone that mattered—let alone a twin.

  Knox sighed heavily. “Is that what you’ve been doing at night? You think you’re just going to find him wandering around on the street outside human bars in a city where the crime didn’t even happen?” he asked incredulously.

  Adam narrowed his eyes and shoved the bottles to the side. “Samil was his maker, and I got a good feeling that he’ll come back home eventually. I’ve got his face burned in my memory and I’ve lived here long enough to know our kind eventually comes home. It’s where most of Samil’s progeny is, and if that sonofabitch is out there, then I’m going to find him. I’d sure as hell know his mark if he’s changed his appearance.”

  Knox’s large arms rested on the table and his face softened to one of resolve. “I get it. Just promise me something,” he said in a low voice.

  “Yeah?”

  Knox lowered his dark eyes to the table and nodded to himself as he came to some kind of conclusion. “When you do find him, do the right thing. Whatever that might be, brother. I’ll always have your back.”

  Chapter 25

  “How long will you keep me locked up?” I asked Officer Stone from the back seat of his squad car.

  “It’s not a hotel, you know.”

  The hell it wasn’t. Although the idea of a strip search as part of the check-in process was losing its appeal. The police radio squawked and the car made a wide right turn.

  “Remembered your name yet?”

  “Jane Doe.”

  “Well, Jane, why don’t you tell me why you were stealing a bunch of worthless shit at an ungodly hour?”

  I avoided looking at his piercing eyes in the rearview mirror and winced as I stupidly rested my forehead against the glass. The monstrous bump began to throb all over again.

  “Doesn’t this have trouble written all over it,” he mumbled as the car slowed down.

  I leaned over and looked through the front windshield. A black car was parked ahead of us with a man signaling for the cop to pull over. He wore a long tan coat with black gloves and a fedora, one that covered his Mohawk.

  Tarek grinned when he spied me in the back and I slid down in my seat.

  “Sit tight,” Stone said.

  “Take me to the station first. You’re not supposed to make stops, are you?”

  “Do you know them?” he asked without turning around.

  I didn’t answer. Stone got out of the vehicle and slammed the door. He was a fearless man, always in control of the situation. He approached Tarek with his hand covering the gun at his hip and I could hear the conversation through the glass.

  “What’s the trouble?” Stone demanded more than asked, stopping at a safe distance.

  “No trouble. I just happened to be out driving and noticed you had my fiancée in the back seat of your police car. I’d like to take her home. What has she done?”

  “You mind stepping away from the car and removing your hand from your pocket?”

  Tarek lifted his hands as if under arrest. I peered through the small space between the headrest and the seat. A protective panel divided the car, and claustrophobia was rearing its ugly head.

  “How much is her bail? I can pay it here and save everyone the trouble. My wallet is in my pocket,” Tarek said, reaching around his waist. Stone tightened his grip on his gun when Tarek slowly opened his wallet and removed several bills. “For your… trouble.”

  Stone flashed his light on the money and then back in Tarek’s car. “If you know this woman, then what’s her name?”

  Tarek narrowed his eyes. We all had fake identities we used in the human world so our real names wouldn’t be documented. Tarek didn’t have a clue what mine was.

  “I assure you she is my fiancée. I can bring you witnesses if needed, although I think Ben Franklin is witness enough, don’t you?” He reached in his wallet, tugging at it several times until he rolled up a wad and held it out toward Stone.

  The cop backed up. “If you know that woman, then you can swing by the station in the morning. I’m going to ask you to get in your vehicle, or I’ll arrest you for bribing an officer.”

  Stone hadn’t a clue he was up against a Chitah Lord, but he was a man undeterred. That might have provoked Tarek, but he seemed to play by the rules when it came to human law enforcement. Taking Stone out in the middle of the street wouldn’t bode well if there were a witness or a street camera.

  Tarek straightened his back and drew in a deep breath through his nose. His golden eyes gleamed in the headlamps and white plumes came out each time he spoke. “Very well, we’ll follow you.”

  “You do that and I got a cot with your name on it. Fond of cavity searches? Because there’s a guy at the station who is, and he’ll love you. Get back in your car. Now.”

  Tarek flashed teeth for a second, but to my surprise, he did just as the officer requested.

  Officer Stone returned and sat in the front seat, turning around to look me over. “You sure have a lot of boyfriends who don’t know your name.” His coat made a rustling sound as he buckled up. “You stole that shit on purpose, didn’t you?”

  “How long will I stay in jail for?”

  Stone forced out a tight breath. “I don’t really like locking people up for stealing worthless crap. Do you want me to call the women’s shelter?”

  “No. How long?”

  “Would getting locked up make you feel safer, is that what it is?” His eyes read me like a book. “Why don’t you tell me who these men are? You’re wearing Bachelor Number One’s coat, but I suspect he’s not your main problem. Dickhead Number Two just tried to pay me off. He’s lucky I didn’t shove him in the trunk, because if I’d had another cruiser with me, he’d be under arrest.”

  “Look, my head really hurts, so if you don’t mind, I’m going to stop talking now.”

  “Where do you live?” he asked.

  I shook my head and he grew increasingly impatient.

  “Tell me where you live and I’ll take you home. I haven’t called this in or filled out the paperwork yet. I got more hardcore criminals out at this hour to worry about. No harm done, outside of offending me with your poor taste in movies.”

  “I don’t have a home,” I lied.

  He removed his hat and tossed it in the seat beside him. His buzz cut had a flat top. Stone’s brows slanted, giving him an apologetic expression. “You sprang forth this very night? Hallelujah, it’s a fucking miracle!”

  “I could spit in your face and call you a pig if that’ll make our trip shorter.”

  He carved me up with his eyes. “Fair enough,” he replied, turning around in his seat as the car sped down the road.

  “This isn’t the way to the station,” I said as I watched the buildings become more unfamiliar and thin out.

  “I’m taking you to a shelter; that boyfriend of yours will be coming to the station, and I don’t think you want to see him, do you?” His eyes darted to mine in the mirror.


  “Just take me to jail. I don’t want to go to a shelter.”

  “And why not?”

  “Because he’ll find it—now take me to the fucking station!” I yelled, kicking the doors.

  “Cut that out and settle down! You’ll be safe there.”

  “I don’t have time to argue, just take me to the station. You don’t know that man; he can find a speck of lint in the Sahara Desert. He’ll be at that shelter within ten minutes of my arrival.”

  “Fair enough.”

  I slid across the seat as the car made a sudden U-turn in the middle of the street.

  When we arrived at the station, Stone hauled me in and sat me down on a bench, uncuffed. A few minutes later he reappeared and took me by the arm, dragging me back outside.

  “Where are we going?” I looked around and noticed dawn was on the horizon as the colors began to change. I shivered as Stone pushed me into the passenger seat of a blue sedan.

  Did this qualify as abduction? Somehow, I didn’t think it was part of the booking process.

  “You’re coming with me,” he said matter-of-factly, starting up the engine.

  “Um, look… I don’t know what you’re up to, but you can’t—”

  He reached over and grabbed my hand before I could open the door. His face was just a mere inch from mine and I leaned back to create space.

  “Let me help you for one night so I can sleep knowing I didn’t send you to an early grave. If you want to come to the station later, I’ll drive you myself and make up charges. I’ve been around the block and then some; I know that look and maybe I got a soft spot for helping out a woman in trouble. Maybe if someone had done it for my mother, she wouldn’t be sitting in a mental institution. So come get a good morning’s sleep, and maybe by then you’ll remember your name and where you need to go. Deal?”

  “It’s not safe. I can’t go to your house.”

  “I’m a cop who’s pissed off a whole lot of people. I keep my house locked up tighter than a prison.” Something softened in his expression. “I see those marks on your neck,” he said, motioning toward the Chitah scars. “That’s a world I know a little about, one I’m ass-deep in on a daily basis. Boyfriend Number Two was a tall sonofabitch with a unique eye color, wouldn’t you say? And your Vampire friend is a real jackass.”